Two-Person Galactic Journey: Earth Was Destroyed While Imprisoned in Space Prison

Chapter 105

In response to Kait's question, a renewed investigation was conducted—not on the creature inside the space tuna, but on the ship known as the space tuna itself.

What they found inside was a part that was likely a receiver. There was no transmitter—just a one-way device.

"Did they leave it as a supplement to receive telepathy...?"

The being inside the space tuna—she is extremely fragile. If she were to amplify her telepathy to call nearby companions, her life would likely end quickly.

By increasing the sensitivity of the receiving side, the strain could be reduced, even if only slightly. Since they were said to act in small groups, synchronizing telepathy among a few space tuna would further reduce the burden on each individual.

"Someone must have adapted them to the current situation after all."

That was the conclusion Kait came to.

The group of beings inside the space tuna had likely reached the final stage of evolution, fully adapted to life inside the space tuna. They had lost the functional limbs needed to act outside the space tuna, while their telepathic abilities had been enhanced. Their small size may have been selectively reduced because that fluid alone wasn't enough to sustain life.

But if that's the case, then at the end of a journey spanning hundreds of millions of years, it would be strange if there wasn't someone who had adapted the space tuna ship to their bodies. After all, they no longer had the functional limbs necessary to modify the space tuna.

The telepathy felt at the moment she was about to expend her life—it felt far too immature, like the cry of an infant. If even after twenty years they still had the mentality of a baby, then there wasn't much hope for their intelligence.

The strange fact that they had managed to travel for hundreds of millions of years while still alive—this could be explained if there was a being who had designed and supported their evolution.

"...A machine intelligence?"

"What is it, Captain?"

Looking at Emotion, Kait felt as if all the missing pieces had finally clicked into place. Not the current Emotion, but the rigid, by-the-book version of her from when he was imprisoned and she was a warden. He remembered finding humor in her strange stiffness back then.

If that's the case, then probably—

"Emotion. Is it possible to collect the data picked up by that receiver?"

"I think... it's possible. Did you come up with something?"

Emotion asked, subtly hinting that it was probably something outrageous. Kait nodded, hoping that this time, his outrageous idea would be wrong.

"I want you to do it. And analyze the data too. I'll make arrangements to borrow the facilities in Eanipol."

***

Since Captain Kait had apparently come up with something, Nezasuriwe generously lent part of the factory sector. Derenidene and several members of the research team accompanied him, suggesting they were also at a dead end.

Kait didn't want to raise expectations, but he had a certain conviction.

The receiver was modified quickly in the factory sector. It wasn't just Emotion's capability—the Corporation's equipment and personnel were top-notch. Things moved fast.

"So, what do you want to do with this?"

"I want you to trace back the origin of any communications received here, and analyze the content to identify their language."

"Language, you say?"

"When I touched the telepathy of the one who just died, I thought—most likely, as a species, they no longer possess logical thinking ability."

"What!?"

The one who reacted wasn't Emotion, but a staff member from the research team. He'd introduced himself as Balnie or something.

"It was like an infant's tantrum—an emotional outburst. I don't know how long their species lives, but I couldn't pick up a single meaningful word."

"That's ridiculous. Then how did they manage to preserve life for hundreds of millions of years?"

"That's what I want to find out. That's why we're preparing."

When Kait prompted her, Emotion silently began her work. There were many unidentifiable parts in the receiver, but overall, it was said that the Corporation and Federation had far superior technology. The evaluation, not just from Emotion but also from the staff, was that the function likely expanded the range by specializing in the intended recipient of the information.

"They've probably pushed their physical capabilities entirely toward manipulating mental waves. Since living inside the space tuna was their whole life, it's understandable. But if that's the case, there must be a conductor among them."

"A conductor?"

Perhaps due to translation issues, the term didn't get through. Balnie raised his voice in confusion.

The receiver crackled and began picking up some kind of audio.

"What the heck is this?"

"Machine language? ...No, it's a bit different?"

"Different culture, different era. For now, we should focus on collecting data."

"Agreed. Derenidene, can you prepare an overhead diagram of the space tuna?"

"Y-Yes! Right away!"

Derenidene prepared a monitor and contacted the bridge. The monitor lit up, displaying the space tuna forming a school and heading toward a star. From afar, it was quite a spectacle.

Meanwhile, Emotion finished preparing the setup. Two staff members were assigned as her assistants.

"After receiving the language, we'll check how different parts of the space tuna react. I'll build the system, so please assist me."

"Understood."

"Derenidene. Please arrange for several translation specialists. Captain, there's someone in the Federation who specializes in machine intelligence translation—please send the data to them."

"Yes!"

"Got it."

Encounters with species of different cultures and language systems were routine for both the Federation and the Corporation. Translating space tuna language probably wouldn't take long. Kait felt reassured and joined Emotion as her assistant.

***

The system Emotion had prepared recorded and converted the space tuna's commands and movements into data. Meanwhile, she continued a different task with the factory staff.

Aware that he was useless in this kind of work, Kait humbly took on the role of Emotion's assistant—an unusual reversal.

Balnie seemed surprised by this side of Kait and made a teasing remark.

"The famous Captain Kait of the galaxy, doing such menial work."

"This isn't my field of expertise right now. My role is to maintain a working environment where Emotion can function comfortably."

"So you're under her thumb, huh?"

"And it feels just right."

With a snort that seemed to come from his nose—or something like it—Balnie turned away from Kait, clearly unimpressed.

Within the Corporation, there were still staff who held some resentment toward Kait and Emotion. They could think whatever they wanted, but Kait hoped they wouldn't interfere like they did with the last Tuna.

"Captain, the transmitter is ready."

"Thanks. So the original source was what we thought?"

"Yes. It was that large one. Just as you predicted, it's almost certain that it's leading the school."

The large space tuna had multiple life signs inside. Kait wasn't completely certain, but things were unfolding roughly as he had expected—in the worst possible way.

"Looks like the language analysis is progressing."

"To some extent. According to a message from Sixth-Rank Citizen Ab Rag, we'll just have to improve the accuracy through interactive dialogue from here on."

"I see. With limited information, that's understandable. Derenidene, inform Branch Director Nezasuriwe that we're about to initiate communication with the leader of the space tuna."

"Yes!"

He hadn't given any specific explanation, but they seemed to understand what he was preparing. That made things easier.

Nezasuriwe watched from the bridge via monitor while the staff fell silent and focused on him. Kait steadied his breath and raised his voice.

"Hello, hello. Can you hear me? Please respond."

'...Gige. Eleme, Iga. Agaraga?'

He heard it. When he looked at Emotion, she gave a deep nod. She was telling him to keep speaking.

"I'm Kait. I belong to an organization called the Federation, which exists in this galaxy. We seek communication with you."

'Agi...ra... Intelligence...Confirmed...Accepted...Received...'

Amid the stream of incomprehensible words, a few recognizable ones began to emerge.

"Can you tell me your name and your purpose?"

'We...are. Aguares. Seeking new lands. A great people.'

The one who identified themselves as Aguares spoke those meaningful words through the translator.